The Lolo Motorway (also known as Forest Road 500) was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930’s and crosses the Bitterroot Mountains in Idaho roughly following the path Lewis and Clark used in 1805 and 1806 during the Corps of Discovery, as well as the Nee-Me-Poo trail used by the Nez Perce for hundreds of years. We took four days to follow those historic trails across the mountains of Idaho high above the Clearwater River.
You can jump to the video of this trip here:
We had this trip on “the list” but we didn’t exactly set out to do it on this trip. We had packed for backpacking, but upon traveling to our intended trail we were discouraged from embarking on that trail due to the large amount of blowdown we would likely encounter. The host at the campground near the trailhead said there was “no way” we were going to make it to our intended destination. Due to the large amount of recent fires in the area and the large amount of dead trees, we were inclined to believe them. We moved to a plan B. We headed to a nearby trailhead for a shorter hike. Upon arrival to that trailhead, it appeared someone was living at the trailhead. Not exactly what you would expect deep in the Idaho mountains, but also not where we wanted to leave our truck overnight. On to plan C it was! We stopped off in Powell for a few supplies and a full tank of fuel and headed off on the Lolo Motorway.
We spent the next two days traversing the road, but since we didn’t plan on it, we cut our trip short of for the time being. We returned a few weeks later to finish the trip in another two day stint.
In just a few weeks the vibrant greens had transitioned to rusty reds, but the views were still spectacular. We stopped along the way at the various signs marking the approximate locations of the camps that the Corps of Discovery made on their treks back and forth across the Lolo Trail in 1805 and 1806. It is pretty hard to imagine crossing these mountains on the way to the Pacific in 1805 but the journals of Lewis and Clark bring everything back to life. I think the journals, in some form, should be required reading. I recommend DeVoto’s version. There are a few snippets of the journals on each sign to give you a feel for what they were experiencing at the time. They didn’t have it easy, but thanks to the assistance of the Nez Perce they crossed in both directions with very little incidence.
Our favorite camp along the motorway was Rocky Ridge Lake. It has a small campground with sites in view of the lake. It may not be the place to stay if others were around, but if you have it to yourself, it is wonderful.
We saw very few people along the trail, but there was a soul here and there.
Before departing Rocky Ridge Lake we did talk with one interesting person traveling the Idaho Backcountry Discovery Route from north to south (the Motorway is also part of the BDR). He had been up to Alaska and was on the way to Baja, Mexico by way of the Idaho and Utah BDRs. The amazing thing was he was on a Honda Trail motorcycle! With an action packer strapped to the back and a few other items of gear attached he had all he needed for a North American adventure. If you have ever thought you can’t get out and see the world because your rig isn’t capable enough, well, need I say more? It was really inspiring to see him travelling and every time we have crossed the BDR recently (we live close by) I wonder where he is.
We finished up the motorway with a stroll through the Lewis and Clark grove, a grove of western red cedar near Lolo Creek on the western end of the motorway, leaving us to ponder the efforts the Corps of Discovery went through, the scientific and geographical discoveries they made, and the hardships they endured. What are you waiting for? The motorway is calling your name!
